Newbie with some reels to show.

Farace · Post by **Farace** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 10:26 pm

I've been posting in another thread and it was suggested I could post some photos here of some reels I've got from my grandfather's collection of gear. I'm really somewhat clueless when it comes to baitcasting reels; it might be treasure or it might be junk.

Photo one. L to R, Belmont (no model I can see); unknown (no markings but cool spider-web-y engraving); Shakespeare 1950 model FC (might have been fished, but it looks pretty new in the box)

Photo two. Close-up of engraving on unknown reel.

Photo three. Some dirty ones. L to R, marked BLUE GRASS REEL MADE BY B F MEEK & SONS LOUISVILLE KY No. 4; Ocean City 950; South Bend No. 550.

Photo four. More dirt. L to R, Winchester 4256; Crusader 2-2290.

Photo five. My "user" fly reels. L to R, early Heddon Imperial 125; early Pflueger Medalist 1492.

Photo six. Back side of Heddon and Pflueger.

Photo seven. L to R, Montague Manitou; Union Hardware

I'm fairly certain I've got a few more baitcasting reels in the garage. Grandpa's stuff got scattered around a bit.

And yeah, I know I have some cleaning to do . . .

Ron Mc · Post by **Ron Mc** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:08 am

Yep, you're a reel collector, and have a very nice collection going.
Bob, the Meek is another valuable reel. Depending on the extent of the corrosion, it's worth $300-500 for that size. Take it apart, soak about 3 hours in 1:4 vinegar in warm water (keep it warm on the stove top - finger warm). Take a toothbrush to the tenacious grunge. Rinse, soak in soapy water, final rinse, air dry.
Since everything was hand-made on these, they can fit up with very snug tolerances making them difficult to pull apart. Also watch out for the spool drag spring (upper button) when you pull the face plate off - the spring is attached to the frame, and the cam on the button pulls the spring away from the spool, so it's beneath the spring as you try to pull off the face plate.
Your Heddon Imperial is in fine shape for its age. Paint notwithstanding, the 1492 will also hold its value (I believe it would bid over $200 on ebay - the most valuable of these are the pre-1937 gun-metal finish, though).
The Winchester is probably worth up to $150, with the final demise of the Winchester company this year.

Post by **john elder** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:43 am

Bob...what Ron said re the nucleus of a great collection and cleaning...I would only quickly throw in that you need to get very well fitting screwdrivers before you break those reels down..It is very easy to trash those screws if you get in a hurry and that will hurt the value! there are quite a few helpful hints on cleaning, etc, on other segments of the board that can be accessed by search and the time would be well spent!

Ron Mc · Post by **Ron Mc** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:04 am

thanks John, great point. there are some good suppliers including
www.micromark.com and
I Shorr: http://orcaonline.org/images/pixel.gif?BenchTool.htm

I think the embossed reel is a Bronson - anybody know?

Farace · Post by **Farace** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:04 am

Thanks for the comments. I'll start cleaning some of the reels. I have a set of small screwdrivers, and one of them will usually fit most any small screw. Wish I had them on vacation with me this summer; I had to remove the cover from my Mitchell 300 (late '60s or early '70s) that had never been cleaned. The stiffened grease was causing problems (I'd seen grease in old Victrolas get very hard; this seemed to be heading in that direction), and I buggered one of the screws. I got a replacement from someone selling Mitchell parts, though.

Any idea on the maker or age of the reel with the engraving? (Edit: Looks like Ron and I posted at the same time . . . )

Sounds like if I sold the Meek I could finance the rest of the cane rod I'm building and a new silk line for it . . . hmmm . . . Honestly, I don't mind selling some of these, and I've made the point to my wife that the money from them would go back into fishing gear or a day with a guide. I'm sure my grandfather wouldn't have minded that.

I'm starting to discover that some of the fishing books from his collection might be worth something, too. I almost hate knowing.

Ron Mc · Post by **Ron Mc** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:54 am

when you clean and rebuild the Meek, you may not be able to let it go...
there are quite a few book collectors on Clark's board.

Dale Noll · Post by **Dale Noll** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:15 pm

Bob,

Your Belmont reel is the type mfg by Bronson, and would be aprox 1950 vintage. The other unmarked reel with the engraving is similar to reels sold by Kalamazoo Tackle, some of which were named Challenger. These reels were trade reels - and all were actually mfg'd by Shakespeare. Pflueger also made reels with a lot of sideplate engraving, but I have not seen this type design on the Pflueger reels. Very nice reel. If you want to sell, send me a note.

Dale.

Reel Geezer · Post by **Reel Geezer** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:37 pm

I'm not certain I agree about the embossed reel being Kalamazoo. I know little about Kalamazoo, but Bronson made reels similar to the one in the photo with Hex shaped jeweled bearing caps. I would like to see other view of the reel before I'd say for certain, but it sure looks like a Bronson to me.

The Crusader was also made by Winchester. Due to condition neither looks like they would be very collectible.

Farace · Post by **Farace** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:22 pm

I've got the Meek partially disassembled; I'm at a point where I'd feel better if I took a few photos before I went further. I don't have time to soak it for three hours tonight, so it'll be tomorrow at the earliest.

I'll search the board for an answer, but in case I don't find one, what's the best way to clean the plastic knobs on the handle?

The Crusader, I think, looks worse than it might be; it's got a good heavy coat of greasy dirt on it. I'll give a go at cleaning that one soon.

What sort of shots would help identify the embossed reel? Of all of them, that's probably the one I'd keep, just for the good looks of it.

Thanks for all the comments!

Post by **john elder** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:22 pm

Bob...on that embossed one...look on the spool side of the front and back face plates. Both Lake and Bronson reels that i have with lots of decoration are marked on the inside, presumably to keep from interupting all that etching. It's easy to miss markings on the inside, since we usually don't look there.

Farace · Post by **Farace** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 11:20 pm

I've looked all over the embossed one, and the only markings I can find are on the bottom of the foot, where it reads
MADE IN U.S.A.
PATENTED

and there's a little "M" stamped into one of the rivets. That's all. Any chance of there being a marking inside the housing?

Farace · Post by **Farace** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 10:03 am

On the theory that heat just speeds up a process, and figuring "why not," I put a part of the Meek in vinegar/water overnight and was pleasantly surprised at how well it came out. Got 99% of the crud and corrosion off, and retained a nice patina. I've got a couple more parts soaking now and hopefully they'll look nice when I get home from work.

I did a quick search and found no references to Nevr Dull. Is this a no-no? My local guitar shop uses it on electric guitar parts, and I was wondering if it's safe (or desireable, even if safe) for use on reels.

Post by **john elder** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 10:30 am

Bob, as you've probably read, the two big sins are excessive ammonia and abrasives. Ron likes Pol...I like Simi-chrome...I think we have established that both have small amounts of ammonia, but no reports of destroyed reels from either. If you are planning on selling the reel, you might just want to stop with the crud removal stage and let the new owner do as he wishes from here...a high gloss can be put on if desired, but will not help in a sales and may hurt with some buyers. btw, if you establish you A) want to sell it and B) what you want for it, pls give me a shot...I still need that one!

Farace · Post by **Farace** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 12:25 pm

John, yes I think I will want to sell it (I'll get more enjoyment out of finishing the rod I'm building and getting a silk line); it will hopefully be somewhere in that $300-500 range that Ron mentioned, but once I'm done cleaning I'll post better photos and see what everyone thinks. I'll give it a good cleaning but avoid polishing it up like a dolled-up tart. I understand, too, that some will prefer a reel to show its age, and it's certainly easier for the end owner to polish it if desired than to un-polish it!

Farace · Post by **Farace** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 8:11 pm

I found a loop of line twisted tightly around the shaft of the screw holding the handle to the reel. I believe it was put there intentionally, as it was tied into a circle. Was this put there by the factory, or by a fisherman?

Post by **john elder** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 8:29 pm

not factory. If it was put there "intentionally", it (A) might be serving as a shim for the wrong nut or a stripped nut...when it's removed, does the nut tighten down properly and hold the crank tight? ...or otherwise, (B) the fisherman might have wrapped the loose end around the crank to hold it from uncoiling in between fishing trips and that little bit is just some that got cut off without being removed.

Farace · Post by **Farace** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 8:36 pm

John, I don't know how tight it will get without the string yet, as the reel is in pieces in the pickling bath. Hopefully I'll get it all put back together tonight, but certainly by sometime tomorrow, and then I'll see if it was used to take up slack.

(Edit: I just took another look at the screw that had the string around it and I'm thinking it might not be original.)

(Edit #2: The screw I'm 90% certain is not original, the washer underneath I'm 101% certain is not original (in fact, it's cut down from a larger flat washer). I get the impression from images of Meek reels on eBay that perhaps there should be some sort of cupped washer similar to the cups under the click and drag sliders maybe? I'll try to take some new photos of the reel over the weekend.)